You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
by DarkArmedRanger
Summary: The paths of fate are crossed when two people meet who are running from the same person, and they feel a...connection. Rated T for language and slight suggestiveness later on, Darren/OC. Slightly AU in that Darren didn't die but is running from DesTiny.
1. Prologue

**To anyone who reads my other stories – sorry! I was about to update but the files got deleted...and I've been really busy...sorry! I'm still working on that...**

**Anyhow, this is a new story I felt like writing. Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise is owned by Darren Shan.**

Prologue

Hi. I'm Shadow. Well that's not my real name, but it's the one I go by. My real name stirs up bad memories of the past, the past that I am running from. Anyhow, I'm female, I'm 18, and I'm ALWAYS on the move. I have dark eyes that look like they've seen the darkest things in the world – probably because they have, long-ish black hair, a fierce look that makes you think I could and would beat you up if you annoy me, and white skin.

I'm not going to tell you much about my past, but I left home at 13 – I couldn't take it any longer, the situation I was in. I lived wild, sometimes managing to steal food from local towns, and sometimes newspapers, so I could keep up with the world. Other times, I had to kill and eat wild animals, using my trusty knife I carried around with me, and making a fire myself from the wood I could find. Good thing I used to be in the girl scouts.

There is one man I hate above all, he wears a yellow suit and green wellington boots, and has a curious heart-shaped watch **(don't kill me if I got the description wrong, just tell me in your REVIEW)**. He has a disturbing and evil looking smile and his name – Desmond Tiny.

When I was 15 he found me, and pretended to be all nice. He helped me for a while, giving me food, clothes and money. Then his true side was revealed to me. One day, when I went to find him in our arranged meeting place – a pub that time, I saw a man beating up a little girl. It reminded me of my past – it was horrible, abusive, foul. Somehow, what I saw next disturbed me even more.

Mr. Tiny just stood there watching, that grin on his face, enjoying it. HE WAS ACTUALLY ENJOYING IT! Then I swear I heard him whisper to the man,

"save some for me afterwards." He turned around and saw me, that grin still on his face.

"I'm coming for you next!" He said, and he looked like he wanted to hurt me, abuse me, kill me, even...EAT ME? I was scared witless so I turned and ran. "You can run, but you can't hide!" Came his whispered voice through the night to me. It only made me run harder.

I was 16 then. I ran on my own for two years, preferring, like always, the shadows, my namesake. And then when I was 18, I met him – Darren Shan!

**So, yeah. The prologue. Chapter one coming soon, if it's not already uploaded. REVIEW, damn it.**


	2. The Vampire Meets The Shadow

**So yeah, this is chapter one. I started work on this straight after the prologue – I was bored. Meh. Just read it, then review it, and be done with it. Favourite it or add to alerts or whatever if you want, but please just review.**

**And just so you know, this story will probably in general have quite short chapters, but I hope to update A LOT.**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

The Vampire Meets The Shadow

I was walking along, alone, through the dark, damp, dingy forest. I seemed to be daydreaming to passers-by – although there weren't any, but I was actually carefully scanning every inch of my surroundings for an animal that could possibly turn into tonight's meal, knife at the ready. It was a skill I had developed over the years so that I could still hunt in the presence of others.

Little did I know, I was in fact in the presence of another that night, although neither did he know either. Well, I found out soon enough.

I suddenly noticed a fox in the bushes, so I tilted my head slightly to get a better look. It would do for a meal.

I crept through the shadows, making next to no sound, sneaking up on my prey. Then suddenly, a man dropped from the trees, landing next to the fox. The fox was scared witless and attempted to run away. However the guy, who I realised looked no older than me, moved at almost superhuman speed, and stabbed the fox in the neck, killing it instantly.

Then I realised – he stabbed the fox, yet he had no weapon in his hand! I saw the blood on his fingernails, and put two and two together. But what I wanted to know was, how were his fingernails so tough? If it was something I could learn from him, it would be dead useful. I was taking in his appearance – his eyes, his hair, the scars all over his body – he looked like he had lived quite a full life for someone so young.

It was then I noticed he was actually DRINKING the fox's blood. I was seriously shocked by this – I wondered why he was doing that, hell, I started having doubts as to whether he was insane, or even a monster. He noticed me and abruptly stopped.

"Oh dear," he said, more to himself than me. "Umm..." He was shifting awkwardly. By the look in his eyes, I could tell he wasn't dangerous. At least, not to me.

"It's ok." I said, "I've been living wild for five years, I've seen some pretty crazy things in that time...and some beforehand." He sighed.

"Trust me, you can't have had a worse life than me. HE ruined my life." Said the stranger, although the last sentence was more to himself than to me, then he muttered something unintelligible. Then he attempted to smile at me. "So...do you need food? I have plenty."

"Yeah," I replied, "and I could do with a companion. Is it ok if I travel with you for a bit?" He looked deep in thought. He stood there for ages, thinking, before finally replying.

"Well, I guess that'd be ok, but follow me back to my 'camp', I have something to tell you, and it may take a while – we may as well sit around a fire."

I followed him for what seemed like an hour, and I was starting to get tired, despite the large amount of physical fitness and endurance I'd built up over the years – the terrain was harsh. The stranger however, seemed unaffected. Once we got to his camp and made a fire, we started talking.

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"You can call me shadow. I don't go by my old name. It stirs up too many...bad memories. You?"

"The name's Darren. Darren Shan. I'm a vampire." I was about to tell him not to be stupid, but then I stopped myself – that could explain his superhuman speed and strength, and how his nails are so tough. COULD. Then I remembered him drinking the fox's blood...

"Hmm...I'm not sure whether to believe that. Have you got proof? However, I've got a feeling I've already seen some." I replied with a ghost of a smile. He seemed genuinely surprised by my reaction.

"Usually, when I tell a human that, they either shrug it off as complete nonsense, or run for the hills screaming 'MONSTER' terrified I'll drain them dry. I have to say, you have courage."

I blushed slightly – it had been a long time since I received any praise.

"Yeah, well, I'm good at reading people, and I can tell from your eyes that you're not a threat to me nor are you evil."

"Anyway, I will give you more proof, however keep in mind that I am weaker than usual, having not drunken any human blood for quite a while." After he said that, he seemed to disappear, then reappear just behind me.

"Woah, did you just teleport?"

"No, it's just like a super-fast run that vampires can do, called flitting. Only full-vampires can flit."

"Ok, I believe you. But you don't kill people do you?" He chuckled to himself.

"No, but the vampaneze do, and I shall tell you more about them another time – should you choose to come with me."

"What do you mean, I already told you I wanted to travel with you! I don't care if you're a vampire!"

"Alas, but a vampire's life is hard, especially mine. It would be damn near impossible for a human such as yourself to keep up. Therefore, there is one condition to you travelling with me. You must become a half-vampire and serve as my assistant! Normally we don't blood anyone so young, but I can tell that you're one of the exceptions that would have an easier life as a vampire than as a human. And I can also tell that you probably don't have any family or friends that you'd be leaving behind either. Although I must ask, how old are you?"

"18," I replied, I was seriously considering this.

"That is good, the other princes would skin me alive if they found out I blooded a child."

"But, if children aren't allowed to become vampires, what about you? You only look about my age, and surely you've been a vampire for quite a while?"

He chuckled.

"Yes, I do look it don't I? Yes, I was an exception, I was blooded when I was twelve. However, my real age is almost fifty, we vampires don't really care much for our exact figures." Then, seeing the confused look on my face, he added, "full vampires age at a tenth of the human rate, half vampires at a fifth."

"Oh," I said, "tell me more about vampires."

"We are tougher to kill than humans, and the old legends of garlic, crosses, and holy water are nonsense. A stake through the heart would kill a vampire, but so would a bullet in the head. We are immune to MOST illnesses, although there is a vampire flu, which can hit us quite hard, although it is rare. We are stronger and faster than humans, and our teeth and nails are especially strong. Our senses are also much sharper. The sun DOES NOT make us sparkle, in fact it doesn't affect half vampires at all, however after a while it will badly burn full vampires, and kill them after a couple of hours."

"Full vampires can flit, communicate telepathically, heal wounds with their spit and knock people out with their breath. We need human blood to survive, however we do not kill. We knock out the person with our breath, before making a small incision using our nails. We then drink what is required, before closing the wound with our spit and leaving them to wake up. There are vampire generals who keep us in check, but there are also princes who are the overall leaders of the clan, although they are not royalty. There are four vampire princes, myself included."

"Woah, you're not only a vampire, but you're one of their LEADERS?"

"Yup, and the youngest one ever, also the only half-vampire ever to become a prince. So, let me ask you this: how much do you want to have children?" His question suddenly felt rather awkward.

"Well, with the life I lead...it would be kinda impossible anyway, and I never really thought about it that much. But I guess...no, I never really wanted kids." He had a look of relief on his face.

"That's good, you see, vampires are infertile. There is one woman who can give birth to a vampire's child – she's...well I'll tell you more about that another time, should you choose to join me. Also, we do have reflections and stuff, but we can't be photographed, something to do with bouncing atoms." I made my decision. Vampires sounded cool, and I wouldn't mind too much drinking human blood, as long as I didn't have to murder innocent people.

"Yes. I want to join you. How do you 'blood' me, did you say?" He looked both relieved and surprised at my answer. I guess he took a liking to me.

"Hold up your hands." I did as he instructed, and he quickly punctured my fingertips, making them bleed. A sharp gasp of pain escaped my lips, and I went to lick them. "Don't. Let them bleed," he said, before quickly getting a drop of my blood a tasting it, swishing it around in his mouth.

"What was that for?"

"I needed to test your blood, to make sure you're not evil. I didn't doubt you, it's just something we have to do. You'll be happy to hear that your blood is the purest I've ever tasted."

"Thanks...I guess."

"Now we should continue before you bleed to death." With that, he punctured his own fingertips in the same place, over scars which I guessed were from when he was blooded. He pressed his fingertips to mine, and our bodies exchanged blood. It was ok at first, I could feel his vampiric blood coursing through my veins, but then I felt a piercing pain when it reached my heart.

At first, I thought something was wrong, so I went to break the connection, but Darren stopped me, and I could see that my blood had the same affect on him as his did on me. I then held my ground, before he broke it off a few moments later. He licked my fingertips to heal them, and I was left with a cool-looking scar on each of my fingertips.

"It is the mark of a vampire," he said, as I examined them, "those scars will stay with you for the rest of your life. Anyway, I think it is time you told me of your past, and what you're doing living wild."

I don't know why, but I told him the details of my horrible life – he was the first I actually told. I felt an emotion for him that I'd never felt before, and found myself acting unusual around him. Then, when I mentioned Mr. Tiny, he gasped.

"What, do you know him? He's kinda who I'm running from now," I said sheepishly, before telling him about the night I saw him last. Then, for the first time I'd met Darren, he looked scary, full of hate.

"Yes, I do. That son of a bitch basically controlled my life, making it horrible! There always has to be at least one prince out of vampire mountain and for now, that's me, seeing as how I, like you, am on the run from destiny."

He then proceeded to tell me the story of his life, starting from how he was blooded, to the death of his mentor, even a prophecy about the lord of the shadows that he had never told anyone about which meant that it was his 'destiny' to kill all of his closest friends and rule over the creatures of the night. He said he was running from Mr. Tiny who was trying to turn him into the lord of the shadows, since he killed the other candidate, Steve, the vampaneze lord, to fulfil a different prophecy about the downfall of the vampire clan.

He told me all about the vampaneze and the war of the scars. He told me about Evanna, the women who could give children to the creatures of the night, and also the daughter of Mr. Tiny, and the babies she would have. Then, he dropped the biggest bombshell of them all – Mr. Tiny, the biggest manipulative bastard ever, not only ruined Darren's life but 'created' him in the first place just to create some damn prophecy just to give him a bit more excitement!

Although Darren was the son of Mr. Tiny, I could tell he hated him even more than me. He told me how Mr. Tiny killed Debbie, the woman he loved, because Darren ran from destiny. Then he made an admission.

"I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. I haven't told anyone else yet, and hell, I've only just met you! But...I dunno...I just feel some sort of connection to you, I haven't felt this way since Debbie..."

I sort of took the implication of it, causing me to unknowingly blush and grin. We chatted for a while longer, before going to sleep before sunrise. He slept in a tent on a hammock, whilst I slept outside, much to my disappointment, as I'll admit. My thoughts were of Darren as I fell asleep. I realised that, for the first time ever, I was in love.

**Hey guys. There will be a bit of fluff throughout this story - don't like it, don't read it! However, don't expect anything too 'adult' – this is rated T and it's gonna stay like that. Anyhow, tell me what you thought in your review. I don't mind constructive criticism, in fact, I welcome it – but beware, FLAMERS WILL BE TROLL'D. HARD.**


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